Harriet "Ma" Pullen - The stampeders arriving in the North Country weren't only sons and husbands, some were wives and mothers. One woman who braved the journey on her own was Harriet "Ma" Pullen. She arrived in Skagway in 1897 with four sons and $8.00 to her name. ot long after, she managed to open a bakery and sold pies and bread to the arriving gold rushers.

   Her business experience didn't stop there, she spent time working as a packer and as a horse-team driver over the White Pass before opening her own successful roadhouse. The Pullen House turned into Skagway's most popular destination. Ma Pullen soon became one of Skagway's most powerful and influential citizens, with title to large properties and piles of money in the bank.